There was very little for Chelsea fans to be impressed by following their side’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, however one player stood out statistically.
After a competitive first half, Pep Guardiola’s side blew the Blues away with three quickfire goals in the second half.
A Stamford Bridge exodus followed as large sections of the fanbase left before the final whistle, as the City fans enjoyed their afternoon in the capital.
What is Chelsea’s best centre-back partnership?
Fofana and Hato couldn't stop City.
Jorrel Hato was the shining light of Chelsea’s 3-0 loss to Man City
Liam Rosenior went for a bold defensive setup with Jorrel Hato starting at centre-back ahead of the likes of Tosin Adarabioyo and Mamadou Sarr.
However, this decision paid off, as Hato again showed he is showing real signs of growth with his improved minutes in the Chelsea side.
Chelsea v Manchester City - Premier League
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
It has become clear he is very talented in possession, and he misplaced just three of his 62 passes, which also included four successful ones into the final third.
The biggest task he was going to face though was dealing with Erling Haaland, who was back in form after his hat-trick against Liverpool in the FA Cup.
Defensively though, the Dutchman impressed greatly. He made three tackles, three recoveries and a block in his 90 minutes on the pitch.
He was dribbled past just once, however certainly did his part in keeping the devastating City attack quiet.
DAVID ORNSTEIN: Liam Rosenior will remain Chelsea coach next season, whether they make the Champions League or not 😬
Thoughts?
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Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP via Getty Images
The performance poses a question for Rosenior, who now faces the prospect of having to win pretty much every game to secure Champions League qualification, over who will start at the back for the rest of the season.
Levi Colwill remains a doubt to feature again this season, and in his absence no one has nailed down the spot of left centre-back throughout the campaign.
Hato has done enough to earn himself that opportunity, and looks as if he is forming a strong connection with Marc Cucurella over who attacks and who drops in.
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